Pilot step



s pt- 2 9 B. H. BRENNER 2,130,837

PILOT STEP Filed July 1'7, 1936 9 INVENTOR:

.5511, amm 7113122121151,

Patented Sept. 20, 1938 PATENT OFFlCE PILOT STEP Benjamin H. Brenner,Altoona,

Pa., assignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia,

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 17, 1936, Serial No.91,155

2 Claims.

This invention relates to steps for railway vehicles and especially tosteps of the character employed at the front end of a locomotive.

It has long been recognized that there is ad vantage in providing wellrounded smooth sur faces at the front end of locomotives and otherrailway vehicles, and the considerations entering into the design ofsuch surfaces have included the matter of lessening wind resistance withresuiting increased speed, the matter of improving the vision of theengineman by assisting the lifting of the smoke stream issuing from thestack, and the matter of deflecting objects struck by the vehicle awayfrom the track on which it is traveling. In applying such improvementsin front end design to a conventional steam locomotive, and especiallywhere a relatively thin exterior casing is employed at the front of thevehicle, difiiculties arise with respect to satisfying certain safetyrequirements. One such difficulty is that the usual form of front stepbreaks the continuity of the surface, and thus not only creates anunsightly appearance but also impairs the function of the casing, bothwith respect to preventing the formation of eddy currents, and withrespect to deflecting objects away from the track.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a form ofstep and a manner of mounting it upon the front end of a vehicle whichovercome the above recited difficulties.

A further object of the invention is to provide a step which is ofsimple construction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble,and adapted to be swung from a service position in which it projects ina substantially horizontal plane to a housed position in which it liesflush with the exterior surface of the front end of the vehicle.

Other objects and advantages characteristic of this invention willbecome more fully apparent from the description hereinafter set forth ofone example or embodiment thereof having reference to the accompanyingdrawing.

Of the drawing:

Fig. I represents a front elevation of a steam locomotive to which apair of front steps embodying this invention have been applied, one ateach side.

Fig. II represents an enlarged cross section, taken as indicated by thelinesII-II of Fig. I, showing a front step in service or horizontalposition.

Fig. III represents a similar cross section, with certain parts brokenaway for clearness of illustration, showing the step in housed orupright position.

Fig. IV represents a perspective view of the step with the mountingbrackets therefor represented in dot-and-dash lines; and,

Fig. V represents a perspective View of one of the mounting brackets.

With reference to the drawing, there is selected for typicalillustration a steam locomotive having a rounded nose I and widesweeping skirt 2 10 in the form of an exterior casing of relatively thinmetal surrounding the body of the vehicle. The pilot and pilot beam arerepresented in outline in Fig. I in broken lines as indicated at 3; andwhile the specific construction of the frame 15 of the locomotive isrelatively unimportant for the purposes of this invention, it will benoted that the steps 4, which are hereinafter more specificallydescribed, derive their support through angle bars 5 secured directly tothe pilot. 20

As clearly shown in Figs. II and III, the exterior casing which formsthe skirt 2 is spaced at a distance from the wall 6 of the pilot. Eachangle bar 5 has bolted rigidly thereto a pair of brackets 1 which formconnections for pivotally 25 mounting a step 4. The particularconstruction of the mounting brackets I may, of course, be variedconsiderably, but desirably these brackets have lugs 8 thereon whichafford stop shoulders 9, H] for limiting angular movement of the step.30

In the form illustrated in the drawing, each step 4 comprises a treadportion II, a riser l2, and side guards I3, formed as an integralcasting. Trunnions l4 project from each side of the step and engagecorresponding apertures in the 35 mounting brackets l.

The skirt 2 provides a smooth well-rounded surface extending across thefront end of the locomotive. Openings l5 are provided at each side ofthe skirt 2 for the accommodation of the 40 steps 4. Each such openingl5 corresponds in shape and size to the step 4 associated with it.Accordingly, when the step 4 is swung to the vertical or housedposition, it fills the opening i 5 and provides a smooth surfacecontinuous with 5 the exterior surface of the casing. On the other hand,when the step 4 is in the horizontal or service position, it projectsfreely through the opening and substantially beyond the casing. It willbe noted that in the service position the step is substantially out ofcontact with the casing 22, so that the Weight of a person standingthereon is not communicated to the relatively weak wall of the casing,but is carried by the relatively 55 strong angle bars 5 which form apart of the pilot.

The stop surfaces 9 of'the brackets 1 limit the downward movement of thestep 4 by engagement with ledges [6 formed adjacent to the trunnions It.In like manner the stop surfaces H] of the brackets l limit upwardswinging of the step by engagement with shoulders IT formed above thetrunnions M. Thus the step 4 is limited to an angular movement ofapproximately Each step a is so mounted and so weighted that it tends tofall by gravity from housed position to service position. To retain thestep in its upright position, a latch i3 is provided immediately abovethe opening l5, such latch including a finger piece !9 and a plate 20which engages against a slot 2! formed in the outer edge of the step.

It will be observed that the steps 4 are normally housed in uprightpositions, and when so housed they form with the skirt 2 of thelocomotive smooth uninterrupted surfaces. Thus the difficulties areavoided which arise when steps are used which are fixed in position andproject outwardly from the front end of a locomotive. Such fixedprojecting steps cause the formation of eddy currents and notinfrequently catch objects struck by the locomotive and prevent suchobjects from being cast away from the track.

While the present invention has been described with reference to oneform thereof, as applied to a steam locomotive, it .will be'apparent tothose skilled in the art that this invention has many otherapplications, and that various departures may be had as to the form ofthe step and the manner of its mounting, without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Ina railway vehicle including a frame and a relatively thin exteriorcasing spaced therefrom in surrounding relation, said casing having anopening therein unreinforced at its edges, a supporting element attachedto the vehicle frame and located entirely within said exterior casingand disassociated from it, a step supported wholly on said supportingelement and having a pivotal connection therewith, said step beingadapted to fall by gravity from a vertical position, wherein it fillsthe opening aforesaid and provides a surface continuous with theexterior shell to a horizontal position wherein it projects through saidopening in the exterior shell substantially beyond the exterior surfacethereof, an externally operable latch means for holding said step in itsvertical position, and stops associated with said pivotal connection andengaging surfaces on said step to limit the angular movement of saidstep between said vertical and said horizontal positions.

2. In a railway vehicle including a frame and a relatively thin exteriorshell spaced therefrom in surrounding relation, said shell having anopening therein unreinforced at its edges, a sup porting elementattached to the vehicle frame and located entirely within said exteriorshell and disassociated from it, a step supported wholly on saidsupporting" element and having a pivotal connection therewith, said stepbeing adapted to fall by gravity from a vertical position, wherein itfills the opening aforesaid and provides a surface continuous with theexterior shell to a horizontal position wherein it projects through saidopening in the exterior shell substantially beyond the exterior surfacethereof, an externally operable latch means for holding said step in itsvertical position, and stops associated with said pivotal connection,one of said stops contacting said step in its horizontal position andpreventing downward movement thereof, and an additional stop contactingsaid step in its vertical position, and preventing backward movementthereof, said latch means when operated serving to hold said steptightly braced against said additional stop.

- BENJAMIN H. BRENNER.

